


This One Will Do Nicely

by tabbytabbytabby



Series: Thiam Prompts [28]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Getting Together, Good Theo Raeken, Liam's Mom Ships It, Liam's Parents Are Awesome, M/M, POV Outsider, Post-Canon, She Gets Shit Done, Sheriff Stilinski's Name is John, Werewolf Reveal, especially his mom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-02
Updated: 2018-02-02
Packaged: 2019-03-12 14:36:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13549398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: A look at how Liam's Mom Jenna finds out about him being a werewolf and everything that comes with it. Including one Theo Raeken, who she makes it her mission to learn more about. If that means a little meddling and doing what she can to make sure Liam and Theo are happy, well that's her business.





	This One Will Do Nicely

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ithinkwehaveanemergency](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithinkwehaveanemergency/gifts), [eliestarr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliestarr/gifts).



> Based on this, in which I promtped myself while responding to a comment on another fic of mine: 'Now I’m just imagining Liam dragging Theo home for dinner the first time and Jenna watching the two of them interact and thinking “yes this one will do nicely.” Then being the one to push Liam to ask him to move in.'  
> For Adri who helped inspire this. And for Elie who gave me her lucky number 13 and all but made this fic come to life. <3
> 
> This was supposed to be short and then it blew up. It has not been beta read so any mistakes are my own, if you see any please point them out and I'll get them fixed.

  
[Banner by E_wolfwisegirl](https://ewolfwitchwisegirl.tumblr.com/)

Jenna knows early on that something is going on with Liam. He’s gone more than usual and she can tell he’s not getting as much sleep as he should be. She doesn’t care what excuses he makes. There’s no way hanging out with Mason or even lacrosse should lead to him coming home as bloody and banged up as he has been over the past year.

She’s tried bringing it up but all Liam has done every time is deny anything is wrong before making up another excuse and disappearing into his room. She doesn’t exactly drop it but she doesn’t pursue the topic either. After a talk with David they both decide the best thing they can do is wait it out. They both know pushing Liam won’t help matters any. They don’t want him to get defensive and think he can’t talk to them.

So Jenna waits and she watches. She might not be pushing him but she still makes sure he knows she’s here if he needs her. She’s more than a little worried that he’s involved in something dangerous. It’s not until David comes home early from the hospital one night all but shaking from nerves that she starts putting the pieces together.

He tells her about things he’s been hearing, about people arming themselves against the supernatural. He even had a nurse offer to show him how to get a gun. He tells Jenna he refused but she can tell he’s rattled. It turns out that’s not the worst of it. The nurse had told him someone would like to speak with him about Liam.

That immediately has Jenna on edge, her mind racing. That’s when she starts getting it. Liam distant behavior and long nights, and the way he keeps coming home with blood on his clothes. She’s suddenly filled with a deep worry.

“We need to talk to Liam,” Jenna says, her mind made up. “I know we were giving him space but there’s not time for that right now.”

David nods solemnly, “I know.”

“But whatever happens we let him know we love and support him.”

When Liam gets home Jenna still isn’t sure how to bring the subject up. She tries her best to act normally, not wanting to give away that something is up. She doesn’t need Liam catching on and attempting to bolt before she can even start the conversation. She’s done her best to be patient but she can’t afford to any longer. Not when she knows there are people out there with guns wanting to talk to David about Liam.

Liam’s her son, she needs to keep him safe. Even if that means bringing up a subject he probably doesn’t want to talk about. Whatever it is has him coming home hurt and scared. It has what could be dangerous people asking about him. It’s that thought that makes Jenna grit her teeth and get on with it, “I know there’s something going on with you Liam. And we’re not leaving here until you tell me what it is.”

Liam stops, fork halfway to his mouth as he stares at his Mom. He lowers the fork and clears his throat, “There’s nothing going on. I’m just tired.”

“Bullshit. We all know there’s more to it than that. You’re barely home, and I don’t care what you say. You’re not with Mason. And if you are you’re not somewhere safe. There are people with guns asking about you Liam. I just…” Jenna pauses, taking a deep breath. “Whatever’s going on you can talk to me. You’re my son and I love you. Nothing you can say will change that.”

She can tell Liam is still feeling conflicted, his eyes darting from her and David towards the door. Hesitantly, she reaches out and places her hand over Liam’s, giving a small squeeze. She watches as David gets up and slowly moves around the table until he’s sitting on Liam’s other side. Liam tenses when David places a hand on his shoulder as if he’s expecting pain instead of the comforting gesture. Jenna feels her heart break a little at that. She hates that whatever is going on has Liam so afraid.

David doesn’t remove his hand, he just squeezes Liam’s shoulder gently, voice soft but firm when he speaks. “Son it’s okay. You can trust us. You know that.”

Liam’s shoulders hunch forward as he curls in on himself. Jenna watches as he takes a shuddering breath, his words coming out hoarse when he speaks. “I’m a werewolf.”

Jenna can’t even say she’s surprised. After David mentioned the nurse at the hospital talking about hunting supernatural creatures and then pointedly asking about Liam she’d figured he was involved in the mess somehow. She certainly knew he wasn’t on the side of the hunters. She feels her worry return tenfold when she’s hit with the thought that people out there could be _hunting_ her son. She has a feeling this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. All the late nights and bloody clothes make so much more sense. Something tells her this is worse than anything he’s dealt with before.

She doesn’t want to worry Liam any more than he already is. So she does what she has to do. She does her best to keep her composure as she speaks as calmly as she can. “Okay.”

Liam’s head snaps in her direction, “Okay? I tell you I’m a werewolf and that’s what you have to say?”

Jenna shrugs, “I’ve known something was going on with you. With all the blood and sudden disappearances and now talks of people hunting supernatural creatures. You being a werewolf isn’t that much of a stretch. Now, is it just you? Or are you going to tell me Mason is a werewolf too?”

“No Mason’s human,” Liam says, the look of disbelief not quite leaving his face, “Well now at least. He was the Beast but we saved him. It’s a long story. There are other weres though. And a banshee. And a hellhound.”

“I’m sure there’s a lot I don’t know,” Jenna says, “and I’ll expect you to fill me in on everything later. But for now, why don’t we stick with what we’re facing currently.”

“We?”

Jenna fights the urge to roll her eyes. Leave it to Liam to think she’d stay out of this, “Yes _we_. Whatever you’re dealing with you’re not doing it alone. Especially not if someone is coming after you.”

“That’s exactly why you should stay out of it!” Liam says, voice rising as he shoots to his feet. “If no one knows you’re involved then you’re safe.”

“Are the other parents involved?” David asks, standing up and crossing his arms as he faces Liam.

Liam’s brow furrows, “Not Mason’s. But some. The Sheriff and Melissa are. Mrs. Martin knows but she doesn’t like to be involved. Which is how you two should be.”

Jenna stands up and moves to her husband's side. She knows what Liam is trying to do, that he just wants to keep them safe. As sweet as it is it’s also infuriating that he thinks she could possibly be okay with staying out of this. “Liam Dunbar if you think I’m just going to sit back twiddling my thumbs knowing you’re out there risking your life you’ve got another thing coming.”

Liam tries to argue but both her and David shut down every one of his arguments. She has him get her in touch with Melissa and John to see what she and David can do to help. David is able to keep an eye on things at the hospital while still pretending to be oblivious to the whole situation. The Geyer’s house becomes a sort of safe house for the pack since no one suspects that they know anything. Jenna doesn’t ask any questions, just lets people come and go. At least once Liam has let her know they’re safe.

Most use the front door but every so often she can hear the sound of Liam’s window being opened and then hushed voices as Liam talks to whoever has come in. It’s also the same voice, the same annoyed yet fond tone from both Liam and the visitor.

It’s not until the third visit that Jenna hears a name to match the voice. She’s walking by Liam’s room on her way to her own room when she hears Liam’s voice filter out, “Theo come on. I know it’s not the best but it’s the only idea we have.”

“I still don’t see why you need my help. Why not ask Scott or Malia?” The voice that must belong to Theo asks.

Liam is silent for a moment. Jenna doesn’t have to be in there to know he’s nervous. “I just need _you._ To help me. I need you to help me. I wouldn’t ask you if it wasn’t important.”

“Wouldn’t you?”

 _“Theo_ ,” Jenna feels her lips twitch at the all too familiar whine in his voice. She can only imagine the face that’s accompanying it, and feels sorry for this Theo being on the receiving end of it.

There’s a sigh and then Theo mutters out a tired sounding “fine.”

Jenna makes it her mission after that to meet this Theo. She has to be careful about it. She can’t just ask Liam to invite him over without giving away that she’s heard their conversation. She tries by telling Liam to invite his friends over for dinner one night. He does, but almost everyone shows up except for Theo. She wants to question it but again isn’t sure how to bring it up.

Once again Jenna bides her time, hoping that Liam will come around on his own. It’s not until a week after the war that it happens. Jenna gets a text from Liam saying that he’s bringing a friend home for dinner. By this point she’s starting to wonder if she’ll ever actually meet this Theo that keeps sneaking into her son's room, or if she’ll have to barge into the room herself.

She doesn’t think anything of it when the front door opens and Jenna hears the sound of footsteps in the hall. It’s not until they’re closer that she hears the voices and stills.

“I don’t see why you think you need to feed me,” Theo says.

Jenna spins around, the spoon still in her hand flinging pasta sauce all over the kitchen. The two boys stare at her in confusion when Jenna does nothing but stare. So this is the Theo that’s been sneaking into Liam’s room almost every night for the past month.

Jenna quickly recovers, placing the spoon back in the pot and wiping her hands off on her apron as she makes her ways towards Theo and Liam. She sticks her hand out to the slightly taller boy, a wide smile on her face. “Hello. I’m Jenna. Liam’s mother.”

Theo smiles hesitantly, sticking his own hand out to shake Jenna’s, “I’m Theo. It’s nice to meet you Mrs. Geyer.”

“Oh call me Jenna please. Mrs. Geyer sounds far too formal,” Jenna says, turning around and making her way back to the stove. She has to, wanting to hide her ever widening smile. “Why don’t you two go wash up? Dinner’s about ready.”

Jenna listens as the boys walk off, talking in hushed voices the whole time. When they return dinner is done and Jenna is getting the plates out of the cabinet. She smacks Liam’s hand when he takes his plate and immediately heads for the food. “Guests first Liam.”

Liam rolls his eyes but steps back, gesturing for Theo to go first. Jenna almost coo’s at the shy smile Theo gives her before stepping up to the food. She can tell he’s hesitant about how much to take, eyes looking from the food he’s putting on his plate to where Jenna is standing.

Jenna just smiles, resting her hip against the counter as she watches him, “Don’t be shy. Take as much as you want. There’s plenty. I always make extra since Liam eats so much lately.”

“Hey,” Liam says, frowning over at his Mom.

Jenna fondly rolls her eyes, “Oh please Liam. You know it’s true. Before I found out about the werewolf thing I thought you were eating your feelings with the amount of food you were scarfing down.”

Theo snickers, turning his head away as he focuses on putting the food on his plate. He gets a decent amount before stepping away. Jenna watches as he knocks shoulders with Liam, smiling at him as he goes. Liam rolls his eyes but grins back. It’s like that the rest of the night. The two bicker but Jenna can tell it’s more fond than anything, there’s no real heat behind the words. She tries not to be too obvious as she watches them but it’s hard when they start exchanging shy smiles.

Jenna can’t remember the last time she saw Liam so relaxed and happy. It eases some of the worry that’s been plaguing her for months, growing when she learned the truth about Liam. After everything he deserves to have happiness, they all do. It’s obvious to Jenna just how much the two care about each other, despite the bickering.

It’s only when she sees Liam glancing at Theo out of the corner of his eye, only to duck his head and blush when Theo looks his way that she realizes exactly what it is. She’d had her suspicions when Theo first started sneaking into Liam’s room but sitting here with the two of them it’s obvious. The bickering isn’t really bickering at all. It’s their way of flirting. Liam misses the way Theo’s eyes linger, tracing across his face as if he’s cataloguing every detail.

 _Yes this one will do nicely_ , Jenna thinks, ducking her head to hide her own smile.

After dinner Theo and Liam head into the living room to watch TV while Jenna cleans up. Theo offers to stay behind and help but Jenna shoos him away. Now that she has Theo here and has a little bit of an understanding of what’s happening she’s going to make sure they spend as much time together as possible.

Jenna finishes up the dishes and heads into the living room. At first she thinks Theo’s alone in the room until she hears Liam yawn from somewhere on the couch. Upon closer inspection Jenna can see Liam’s head resting on Theo’s lap as Theo runs a hand through his hair.  Liam blinks up at him, a tired smile on his face, “I’m sleepy.”

Theo smiles softly down at him, “Then you should get up and head to bed.”

Liam nods, looking up at him, face serious, “Will you stay? I sleep better when you’re here.”

Theo nervously glances at Jenna before looking back at Liam, “Just until you fall asleep.”

Liam snorts, moving to stand up. He sways slightly only to be caught by Theo, “Oh please. We both know you’ll fall asleep first. And it’s not like you have any place else to be. You’ve been coming here every night for the past month for a reason.”

Jenna can see the hurt that flashes in Theo’s eyes before he covers it, making sure Liam is steady before stepping away, “I don’t mean to be an inconvenience. I’m just gonna…”

He hooks his thumb over his shoulder and backs away, heading towards the door. Liam whirls around to face him, “Theo what…? Nobody said…”

“It’s fine Liam. Really.” Theo doesn’t wait for a response before opening the door and slipping out.

“I just said I sleep better with you here you asshole!” Liam shouts after him. He turns to Jenna, face slightly helpless. When Jenna raises an eyebrow Liam sighs, “Theo’s been sleeping in his truck.”

Jenna’s back straightens, eyes narrowing, “Excuse me? What do you mean he’s been sleeping in his truck?”

“Ever since he came back from hell he’s been sleeping in his truck,” Liam says as if it’s that simple. It’s not, they both know it. Luckily Jenna has heard the story before now so she’s not blindsided by the thought of Theo being in hell.

Now though, now she’s put a face to a name. Now she’s met Theo. The thought of that boy she met being tortured and tormented makes her chest ache. It’s worse when she pictures him sleeping in his truck all this time. “How long have you known?”

Liam shrugs, “A few weeks. I tried getting him to come stay here but he refused. I think he’s embarrassed.”

Jenna’s tilts her head, “But he _has_ been staying here. I’ve heard him coming in.”

Liam sighs, “Yeah but he doesn’t stay. Even when he falls asleep he always wakes up before the sun comes up and disappears.’

“Well this just won’t do,” Jenna says, shaking her head. “We cannot have that boy sleeping in his truck.”

“I know Mom,” Liam says, shoulders slumping in defeat, “I’ve tried, believe me. He’s stubborn.”

“Yes well, you may have tried but _I_ haven’t.”

“Mom,” Liam says, watching as Jenna grabs her keys off the table by the door. “Theo, he’s important. He matters to me. I care about him.”

Jenna smiles, cupping Liam’s cheek, “I know sweetheart. I can tell he means a lot to you. Whatever this is, you can tell me.”

Liam eyes flick up to meet hers, nervousness apparent as he pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, “I have feelings for him. I think I could love him Mom. I don’t… I’ve never felt like this before. Not with Hayden, with anyone.”

“Oh honey. If it makes you feel any better I’m almost certain he feels the same way.”

“Then why does he keep pulling away?” Liam asks. “I try to get close but then he shuts down.”

“He’s been through a lot,” Jenna reminds him, “he’s probably working through his issues. He just needs time and understanding.”

Liam nods, “I know.”

“Just be there for him Liam. What’s meant to be will be,” Jenna tells him, “Now, I need to go out and find Theo. Are you going to be okay?”

Liam nods, “Yeah. I’ll be fine.”

 

Jenna is anything, if not determined. She’s going to do whatever it takes to get Theo back to this house and into their guest room. She gets the description of Theo’s truck from Liam as well as the license plate number and sets off. She drives around for a few minutes before placing a call to John to see if any of the deputies have spotted Theo’s truck.

From the way Liam explained it they tend to chase Theo off if they find him sleeping anywhere, something that just feeds her anger at the situation. What kind of people could, especially those in law enforcement that are supposed to protect and serve, could find a boy sleeping in his car and just chase him off rather than trying to help him? She’s certainly going to be having a talk with John when this is all over.

Jenna gets a call a few minutes later from John saying that one of the deputies spotted Theo’s truck across town but haven’t approached. Jenna tells him to leave Theo be and that she’ll handle it. She parks her car a block away and approaches the truck slowly.

When she gets there she sees Theo sitting in the driver’s seat, with his hands clenched on the wheel and his head resting between them. His head snaps up when Jenna knocks on the window, shoulders slumping as he raises his hand as if he’s preparing to wave her off. It has her wondering just how many times something like this has happened to the poor kid.

When Theo sees it’s her his eyes widen and he quickly rolls down the window, “Mrs. Geyer… Jenna. Hi. What are you doing here?”

“I need to talk to you,” Jenna tells him, “Can I get in?”

Theo nods, unlocking the doors. Jenna can feel his eyes tracking her movement as she makes her way around the truck and climbs into the passenger’s side. She doesn’t say anything at first, just watches as Theo nervously picks at a loose thread on his hoodie.

She’s unsure how to approach the subject, whether it’s better to build up to it or get right to the point. She doesn’t want to come at this the wrong way and cause Theo to shut down. Fortunately for her she doesn’t have to think of a way to bring it up. Theo does it for her, “I know why you’re here.”

“Of course you do,” Jenna says, “and that’s fine because now we can get right to it. I know you’ve been sleeping in your truck. I know you’ve had horrible deputies waking you and chasing you off constantly. I know that despite Liam constantly offering you have repeatedly turned down the spare room at our house. I also know that you have feelings for my son.”

Theo’s eyes snap to meet hers, wide and slightly frightened, “I don’t… we’re just friends.”

Jenna sighs, “Honey, the way you two look at each other is so much more than friendship. And that’s okay. You make each other happy, something you both deserve to be.”

Theo shakes his head, eyes wet as he looks down at his hands, “I don’t. After everything I’ve done I don’t deserve him. If you knew you would agree.”

“I do know,” Jenna tells him, “I had Liam tell me everything. I’m sure there are things he left out but I know enough, especially about you. I know you did some horrible things but I also know you’ve been working on being better. I know that Liam sees the good in you, that he believes in you and he trusts you. I’ve seen the way you are with him Theo. I know you were good at fooling everyone when you first got back to town but that’s not what this is. I can tell.”

“How?” Theo whispers.

“I have never seen so much hope and love and fear on one person’s face before. But I see it in yours when you look at Liam. The way you look at him when you think no one else can see you, you can’t fake that.”

Theo shakes his head, a sob escaping, “I can’t. I can’t. I’ve caused him so much pain already, I can’t do it anymore. If I love him I can hurt him.”

“That’s always a risk,” Jenna says, “but that could happen anyway, whether you admit how you feel to him or not. It’s scary, I know it is. But I think you’ll find it’s worth it in the end.”

Jenna reaches over, placing a hand on Theo’s shoulder, intending to comfort him. What she’s not expecting is for Theo to launch himself across the truck and bury his face in her neck as he continues to cry. Jenna does her best to calm him, wrapping her arms around his back and pulling him close. “It’s okay. You’re not alone Theo. It’s okay.”

Jenna’s unsure how long they sit like that, it could have been minutes or an hour. All she knows is that eventually Theo pulls back, face sheepish as he wipes his eyes, “Sorry.”

Jenna shakes her head, “You don’t need to apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for. Not with me.”

Theo nods, keeping his eyes focused on anywhere but her, “So what now?”

“Now,” Jenna says, “now you come home with me and we get you set up in your room. No arguments. It’s happening. If you think you can get out of it, just know I’m prepared to chase you down and bug you until you agree.”

Theo’s eyes flick over to meet hers, mouth quirking into a slight smile, “I don’t doubt it.”

“Good. Then you know what you have to do.”

Jenna feels pretty proud of herself when she gets back to her car and starts it, looking up to find Theo’s truck waiting to lead them back home. She’d made Theo say he would lead the way thinking it would be easier to keep track of him that way in case he decided to escape. He doesn’t. He drives them right to the Geyer household, parking his truck at the end of the driveway.

Liam is waiting in the hallway when they walk in, immediately throwing his arms around Theo and pulling him in for a hug, “I’m so glad you came home.”

“Of course I did,” Theo smiles, burying his face in Liam’s hair. “Your Mom is pretty stubborn.”

“It runs in the family.”

Jenna watches the two for a moment before walking into the kitchen to make tea. She hopes the alone time will help the two of them sort out their issues. Sure enough, when Jenna peeks into the living room a few minutes later the boys are still standing by the door. Only this time, their arms are wrapped around each other as they kiss. Jenna counts it as a win. Especially when she hears Liam mumble, “I love you. Please stay.”

There’s a beat of silence before Theo is speaking, almost too soft for Jenna to hear him, “I love you too. I’m not going anywhere.”

Jenna has to make her way back into the kitchen, trying to push down her squeal of delight. The last thing she wants is for Liam and Theo to hear her and feel the need to stop. When she looks in a little while later the two of them are no longer standing in the living room. When she listens she can hear muffled laughter coming from upstairs in Liam’s room.

It’s then that Jenna decides it might be a good time to go visit David on his break at the hospital. She’s happy for Theo and Liam but she doesn’t exactly want to hear just how happy _they_ are to be together. Some things a parent just doesn’t need to hear.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day. I appreciate every single one, even if my life is chaos and I can't always thank you all properly. <3  
> This also escalated from Jenna pushing Liam to get Theo to move in to taking matters into her own hands. I can't say I mind that all that much. Anyone that knows me or has been reading my fics should know my love for Jenna. I'm so excited to have finally written a fic with her at the center. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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